Breakfast Recommendations

[MarieKat]

I'm booking a trip for the fall- I've actually done all my ADRs but I'm wondering about breakfasts. I booked the Kona Cafe a couple of times (we're staying at the Poly) along with character breakfasts at Chef Mickey's, Akershus and the Grand Floridian (I know, a lot of character meals but what can I say.) What can I expect at the character meals, and is that Tonga Toast really all that? Thanks!

 

[mgentry210]

Welcome! Give us a bit more to work with. How many days? Any kids? Probably with that much character dining. Maybe some of your other reservations so we can tell if you are over booking. We are here to help!

 

[MarieKat]

No kids, but we are character fanatics, and it's my first time to Disney, so we might be overdoing it a little bit. We're there 8 days. We have reservations for Jiko, Be Our Guest, Sanaa and Flying Fish for dinners. Thanks!

 

[robinb]

No kids, but we are character fanatics, and it's my first time to Disney, so we might be overdoing it a little bit. We're there 8 days. We have reservations for Jiko, Be Our Guest, Sanaa and Flying Fish for dinners. Thanks!

Are you on the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan? If not, you probably should be.

At character meals you sit at your table and the characters will come over to meet you one-by-one. If you are at a buffet you need to plan your trips so you'll be at your table when they come by. They will be back, but it may be a LONG time. The face characters will talk to you and the costumed characters will gesture to get their point across. They are very good at it! They will pose for pictures and sign your autograph book. Sometimes the characters will have a "handler" and that person can take your photo for you. Some people make hand-made autograph books with a page for each planned character plus some blank ones and then they mount the photos into the book later.

I've heard that the Tusker House breakfast at Animal Kingdom is very good. I also enjoy brunch (a late breakfast) at Crystal Palace.

Frankly, I think that you have over-scheduled yourself in meals especially since this is your first time at WDW. WDW is a really big place and there is a LOT to do. People just don't seem to "get" it until they are there. I think that instead of enjoying the parks, you will be spending hours a day eating or planning how you are going to get to your next meal. That's not the way that I like to vacation. When we were DINKs we enjoyed table service meals, but not multiple sit down meals per day. IMO it's just too much food and too much time spent eating.

 

[MarieKat]

We are on the Deluxe Dining Plan. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the advice about character meals!
I know it's a lot of TS meals but we like nice dining and the food is an important part of our trip. Maybe if we do a 2nd trip someday we'll do more QS. We haven't scheduled lunches, so that part of our day will be more free-form, if we even eat lunch, and our breakfasts are about as early as they can be, and the dinners tend to be late, so I'm cautiously optimistic that it won't ruin our day to have some nice things planned. Anyway I'm not giving up my reservations!

 

[pumba]

we always love AKershus for breakfast at Norway..with or without the kids....Tusker House is pretty decent breakfasts too..we love Crystal Palace too...we are Disney nuts and love breakfasts with characters...have a good time planning

 

[50sPrimeTime]

Tusker House is amazingly awesome for breakfast...some different options than you'd get at the other buffets, but nothing too crazy (my sister and I aren't the most adventurous eaters, and we loved it...and the juice is amazing!).

We also love, love Cape May at the Beach Club. That was our go to resort during our younger years...so there's nostalgia there for us, but the atmosphere is great! (Sidenote: Cape May's dinner buffet is one of the best...soooo much seafood...my family always jokingly reminisces about my father and uncle taking down buckets and buckets of muscles at dinner one night)

 

[tinkerbella16]

We love Kona for breakfast! I am booked there for just myself on an early morning during my Nov trip. I love it there. We did Akershus for breakfast last year, just 3 of us adults and we absolutely loved it there. We really enjoyed the cold buffet, hot items that are brought to your table and we even asked for mickey waffles and they gladly brought out a plate full for us! We cannot wait to go back! I am am a breakfast person over lunch and sometimes even dinner.. I love a good sit down breakfast in Disney! Keep all of your adrs! I also love the Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast.. It has become a must do! I even booked it twice for my upcoming trip. I am an early riser in disney, since my normal wakeup time at home is 4am. I am up really early in disney, I never sleep in.. So I made both Grand Floridian Cafe adrs for 7:15am... I have to have the vanilla-laced french toast more than once on my trip. It is just too good! Enjoy and happy planning!!

 

[bfair]

Tusker house is really good for breakfast especially if you like characters. Boma is also a great breakfast spot.

The tonga toast is that good!! It's also served at Capt. Cooks in the poly.

 

[Quin]

Although Kona is good I would only recommend 1 breakfast there. There are too many other options! In the parks Crystal Palace and CRT are both good options at MK, Akershus in Epcot, and Tusker House in AK. For a DHS morning the best I can recommend is Cape May (characters in cute beach wear) or Captain's Grille (no characters but you can eat from a moderate-sized buffet or order off a menu) at the Yacht Club/Beach Club resort, then walk or take the boat to DHS. Since you are staying at a monorail resort, easy breakfast options for you include both 1900PF (fun character buffet) and Grand Floridian Cafe (quiet, more elegant, menu only) at the GF and a real hidden gem, The Wave, at the Contemporary. The Wave has no characters but offers both a menu and a lovely little buffet. Do not miss the sweet potato pancakes! From there you can walk to the MK, take the monorail and transfer to Epcot, or take busses from the Contemporary straight to DHS or AK.

For all your meals I strongly encourage you to agree beforehand with your partner that as much as possible you will each order different entrees and that you will order the ones that appeal to both of you, so that you can 'sample' each others' choices. Sometimes you'll just want a bite; sometimes you'll 'sample' half the meal. It will make you feel better about not repeating restaurants.

Overdoing it? Yes, of course you are. Some vacations are made for overdoing it. And if the trip leaves you "hungry" for more, well, welcome to the wonderful world of Disney fanatics. And start planning your next trip!

 

[MmmSuite]

What about 'Ohana for breakfast? You're staying at the Poly and like characters!

 

[MmmSuite]

I have had the Tonga Toast. It was good but I wouldn't get it again. If you do love though you can get it at a counter service restaurant at the Poly.

 

[honeybunches]

Our favorite breakfasts are Crystal Palace and Whispering Canyon. At the character meals, plan to be there a long time. I didn't care for the Tonga Toast, but it's always nice to try something so that you can check it off your list!

 

[disneyvoice]

Our new favorite breakfast is Be Our Guest but I can't remember if they have officially added breakfast there past the testing period??

We also really like Crystal Palace although we have to be really careful with breakfast buffets. We aren't normally big breakfast eaters (I don't eat breakfast at all at home) and nothing makes me feel worse than starting a day at the parks feeling like I am ready to burst at the seams! Plus it throws our normal eating schedule off for whole day - if I eat much for breakfast I'm not ready to eat anything at lunch time. This becomes a problem with ADRs that can't be cancelled without incurring a fee if we decide we aren't hungry.

We love Tonga Toast but it is enormous and extremely sweet. My husband and I split it and we don't use the syrup - we find that it is almost too sweet by itself so adding syrup would be overkill for us.

Some breakfasts are just fun - like Cinderella's Royal Table. The food is fine but you're really there for the experience. Chef Mickey's has a brunch now, can't remember if you are already doing that one for breakfast. We usually do it for dinner but are going to try brunch on our next trip.

 

[ariane37]

We've been to all your breakfast choices, I think it's a nice mix of character meals. My choice would be Tusker House over Chef Mickeys but since it's your first time and your on the monorail anyway, do whichever you prefer The food at TH is always really good, though. Maybe as a pp suggested, switch out one of your Kona ADR's for something else? 'Ohana is fun if you can get it, but again being at the Poly I get the convenience of Kona twice.

And FYI we love BOG dinner and Sanaa too! Have a wonderful first trip